The Dodos

Tue 25th Nov, 2008 in Features

Logan Kroeber and his band are in transition. Kroeber’s current band, The Dodos, just finished an extended U.S. tour. The drummer has three weeks to spend with his girlfriend north of San Francisco, before the band goes to Europe in November and then Australia at the end of the year.

The Dodos, originally Kroeber and singer/guitarist Meric Long, have had a gruelling tour schedule promoting their second album Visiter. But, “we’re more used to all the craziness now,” Kroeber assures.

In addition, the band recently added a third member, percussionist Joe Haener. He has toured with The Dodos since February, to add to the live show the extra effects heard on the album. “He’s a soldier in the trenches just like us,” Kroeber says.

However, Kroeber says the band has not written any new material with Haener just yet. The Dodos have a distinctive driving rhythm to their music, due to Long’s heavy rhythmic guitar style and Kroeber’s pounding, high energy drumming style. When Kroeber first started playing with Long as part of The Dodos, he said their sound provided a new challenge because their heavy emphasis on rhythm and the drums exposed him to more scrutiny.

“I like to drum energetically, so it’s nice to not have to restrain myself,” Kroeber says. Their rhythmic style posed initial difficulties meshing high energy drumming with acoustic guitar, but “on the energy level we knew there was a connection.”

Also, at the beginning, Kroeber took out elements of his drum kit to match with Long’s more lo-fi sound. He later wanted a tambourine effect, so instead of attaching one to his kit, Kroeber freed up his hands by playing with tambourines strapped to his feet. “I rig it all ghetto style with tape,” he quips.

The Dodos have an uncharacteristic sound for an indie folk band, due to Kroeber’s background as a former metal drummer and Long’s varied interests, which include African and Indonesian rhythms. For example, in the song Ashley, off Visiter, Long taught Kroeber how to play the rim-based core beat. He says he now uses that rhythm to warm up before shows.

To capture the band’s high energy sound developed through practice jamming and touring, The Dodos decided to record Visiter essentially live with little overdubbing. Kroeber said after the release of their first album Beware of the Maniacs, they received comments that the album did not match The Dodo’s live dynamic energy.

During their first U.S. tour after Beware of the Maniacs, The Dodos were a mostly unknown opening act, giving them free time – either in the tour van driving or in a local park hours before a show – to write the songs that became Visiter. Throughout their current touring schedule, since the release of Visiter, The Dodos have played larger sets, including festivals in the U.S. and Europe.

Playing larger shows mean The Dodos need to show up earlier for sound checks, giving them less time to write new material, Kroeber says. However, he hopes the band will develop one or two more songs during their European tour. “I hope we can be productive and do a lot of writing during sound checks. Even if we got one more [song] I’d be stoked.” The Dodos have developed multiple riffs and song skeletons so far, with only one new song. “I call it Transformer right now,” Kroeber reveals.

Kroeber said the band will return to the States and use a break from touring to hopefully write new material after they finish their Australian tour dates in January. The new songs will probably have the same high energy spirit as their old stuff, just “more controlled,” Kroeber says. “The word tightness comes to mind.”

The Dodos will play at the Falls Festival and the Days Like This Festival during their upcoming Australian tour dates. This year marked their first encounters with festivals. However, Kroeber said their upcoming European tour will be club venues. “Clubs are a little more reliable.” Kroeber is quick to add, though, that he hopes Australia’s reputation for hard partying translates to memorable festivals.

Visiter is out now through Shock Records. The Dodos play the following shows on their first-ever Australian tour.

30 December – Falls Festival, Marion Bay
31 December – Falls Festival, Lorne
Fri 2 Jan – The Zoo, Brisbane
Sat 3 Jan – The Metro Theatre, Sydney (supporting Fleet Foxes)
Sun 4 Jan – Days Like This! Festival, Entertainment Quarter, Sydney
Tues 6 Jan – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne